Advice to anyone studying in Rome, Italy!

MY ERASMUS VLOG- Vimeo

My university

Academic study in Rome is extremely different in comparison to studying in the UK. To begin with my host university in Rome, was a private institution, therefore the number of students with the European University of Rome (EUR), was significantly smaller than what I was expecting. Within the Erasmus program (summer semester) there were a total of nine erasmus students including myself.

Source

The European University of Rome, followed similar methods of teaching as my home university, such as lectures and seminars, however the number of students within the class was extremely small. I think that this had both a positive and negative effect on my experience. On one hand I was able to avail of one on one support from the teacher, whenever I needed to, however on the other hand, if not enough students showed up to class, the class could not take place. Language barriers are often an issue when studying abroad, I feel that in Italy, speaking English is encouraged but is not often used. However, at this university, the students enjoyed conversing with me in English and at time helped me improve my knowledge of Italian.

For future students wanting to study in Rome, I would recommend this university for those interested in Business, Law, Politics and Economics. They had a fabulous programme for Erasmus Students called "NEIR" (all NEIR classes taught in English) included, “The Art of Negotiation”, “EU and International Tax Law” and also “History of EU and business Negotiations”. I found these classes extremely interesting but also challenging. The examination methods used in Rome are vastly different to anything I had experienced in my previous academic study within the UK. Majority of my assessments at the end of the semester were oral exams. These oral exams could be in the form of a presentation or question and answer session with the lecturer. Within other classes, lectures focused a lot on group work, I enjoyed this aspect of the academic study, as it allowed me to develop me communication and leadership skills, something that is embedded within my course on the liberal arts program at home in Belfast. For example: one of the group work assignments, was to create a “Business Plan”, an overall creative idea, item or service that would result in profit. I found this assignment thoroughly enjoyable as I could use my creativity and artistic skills.

The university itself is quite isolated (in the countryside of Rome) and most of the students travel there by car. After researching accommodation, we discovered that most housing choices were located in the centre of Rome. In other words, away from the university. From the beginning finding accommodation was truly a challenge. The average rent prices for a room within a shared apartment here in Rome is around 400-800 euros a month, this immediately consumed a large amount of our budget. My Advice would be to look for cheaper accommodation and book accommodation early. Some of the websites I used to look for accommodation were

"Uniplaces", "Spotahome" and "Easystanza". I would also advise students to plan a route to this particular university and learn the exact times of the transportation that they need. For example; if myself and Elizabeth had a morning lecture at 9:00am we would need to leave the house at 7:00am. This was due to the isolation of the university and as a result this was the length of time needed for travel in order to be on time for the lecture. Also if you have class on a Wednesday morning, avoid St. Peter’s Square and San Pietro train station at all cost because this is the time of the Pope’s General audience (every Wednesday).

Night life

For entertainment, I spent most of my time with other Erasmus students in one of Rome’s main Piazzas, “Campo de' Fiori”. We became friendly with the bar staff of a small bar called “The Drunkenship”, as this bar is a famous international student bar located in the centre of Rome. The occasions when we did go out for food and drink, it was thoroughly enjoyable. However, something to remember when studying in Rome is to budget your money. Don’t eat out all the time, as it is extremely expensive within the bars, restaurants and nightclubs. Rome is one of those european cities, that favours pubs and cafés over Partying Night Clubs. On the very few occasions we went to nightclubs, we either did not get into the venue (due to too many people), or they were extremely expensive (30 euro entry). However if you are in Rome and you want to give clubing a try for yourself the main clubs are called: "Babel" and "Art Café" and are located in the Villa Borghese Park. My advice is to avoid the nightclubs and spend as much time as you can at the Scholars Irish Pub and Campo De' Fiori, for the best night you can imagine. In comparison to my home university in the UK, the students in Rome go out much later than at home, for example beginning their night at 12. 00am and staying out until 4:30am. This was something that myself and Elizabeth found to be different from what we were used to, but enjoyable all the same.

• Scholars Lounge
• The Drunkenship
• ESN Facebook group - Roma
• Campo De' Fiori - party central

Travelling

I travelled to Rome with a fellow Irish girl called Elizabeth. Our time spent in Rome is one I will never forget. I would recommend taking adventerous day trips to the many surrounding towns near Rome. Italy has so much to offer in terms of travel opportunities. During May time, I travelled to the City of Pompeii with other Erasmus students that I had met. Pompeii is a small town an hour train journey outside of Naples. This town sits at the foot of Mount Vesuvius and is historically famous for the eruption of this volcano in 79AD. This was an all day trip that allowed us to explore Italian culture outside the city of Rome and provided us with ultimate life time experience of climbing an active volcano. To get to Pompeii we took the train from Termini (Rome's main train station) to Naples (Napoli), this Ticket cost around 22 euros. The train journey lasted around 3 hours, so I would recommend departing as earlier as you can. From Naples we took the train to Salerno, leaving from Naples train station, this journey was short and only costed 4 euros. Pompeii is a stop on the naples to Salerno line. Once in the city of Pompeii, I found the tour groups and shuttle bus directly outside the train station. The city is small but busting with culture, food, entertainment and sight seeing activities. My tip: Dont spend too long in the ruins of Pompeii - The volcanoe is much interesting and takes up a fair amount of time. Spend 1/2 hours in the ruins and the rest of your day set aside for the volcanoe.

I also travelled to Poland from Rome. A direct flight from Rome Ciampino to Krakow cost me 42 euros (extremely cheap). I decided to travel to Krakow Poland, as I had friends there from my home university in Belfast, who were taking part in Erasmus. Travelling to Krakow was a highlight of my Erasmus experience, it allowed me to experience both the Polish culture and compare the differences to the Italian way of life. During the week I spent there, I got the chance to see Auschwitz, Schindler’s factory, the Jewish quarter and the Polish salt mines. I would highly recommend Krakow to any young and enthusiastic traveller! It was Cheap, convenient and full of interesting things to see. I myself travelled to Poland on an Extremely low budget, bringing with me 800 zloty (200 euro) - This money lasted me one week. I can assure you that I did not reserve on my spending but I relied on an extremely small amount of money to get me through each day. The Auschwitz tour cost 90 zloty (20 euro) - this included your transport there and back to the city, the guided tour and entry. I also believe that this trip allowed me to become more independent, as I travelled alone from Rome to Krakow. For any Solo Travellers out there... you can do it!

Rome Airport

When you arrive at Ciampino airport, there will be many buses outside the arrival area. Get the "Terravision" bus that goes straight to Termini station. It costs around 5 euros. If you do decide to get a taxi, it will be better and cost around 60 euros. Rome often have Public transport strikes; this is where unlicensed drivers see the opportunity to make money. So my key piece of advice is, do not get into a taxi if it is not white. In Rome only officially licensed taxis are white in colour.

For any reason if you are using Ciampino airport to travel to another destination, be aware the airport closes from 00:00am to 4:00am. This means that if your flight is at 6:00am you will need to get the last bus to the airport the night before and be prepared to stay outside the airport for a few hours until it reopens. The journey from Termini to Ciampino using the Terravision bus service lasts 40 minutes, with the first bus departing at 4:30am and last bus departing at 9:30am. Many times I myself had to wait outside the airport in the middle of the night/ earlier morning and wait for the airport to open its doors. I chose to do this because it saved me money in taxi fare and also I could not find any hotel close to this particular airport. If you find yourself in this situation at Ciampino airport, do not worry. There are always people waiting with you, at least 50-60 on both occasions when this happened to me. Everyone waits together, some poeple sleep, other watch tv on their phones, but do not worry you won't be on your own. Also, believe it or not it gets cold in Rome at night, so make sure to bring a jacket or hat. People waiting with me ended up opening their suitcases and wrapping themselves in towels. Apart from this, the night goes by quickly and you'll have saved yourself a 70 euro taxi to the airport.

Transportation

Another piece of advice I would like to pass on to other students, would be in regards to transportation. The public transportation in Rome is extremely different to Ireland. A lot of the information on how to obtain transportation tickets is either not sign posted or not in English. You can obtain a monthly travel card from confectionary shops inside Termini station. These cards will let you travel limitlessly on all metro, bus and tram lines. Do not travel without a valid ticket, as it will result in a 56 euro fine. Something that happened to myself. If you do happen to get fined for not having a ticket, take the fine and you can pay it at the local Italia Post office. Any other issues regarding public transport you can find information on the website ATAC or on their Twitter "ATACRoma".

• Always check for public transport strikes - they occur often in Rome.
• Only take white taxis.
• Use the app called 'MY TAXI" to book taxi - the app is free.
• Buy a monthly Roma transport ticket in convenient store at Termini - 38 euros.
• Metro and Trams run later on the weekend.

My favourite way to spend the afternoons when we were free from class, was to sit at the Spanish steps and have some food or italian coffee. This allowed me time to relax and absorb the idea that I was actually a student living in Rome. Some evenings we would all go to Campo De' Fiori, a large market square that held a very student friendly atmosphere. During this time, we would socialize with our fellow Erasmus students from out host university and sometimes on our way home, we would get the opportunity to see the Trevi fountain without the hustle and chaos of tourists; a completely surreal experience. Overall I believe that Erasmus has benefitted me in all aspects of my life, it has been an opportunity of a life time and something that I would encourage others student to do.

In conclusions, I feel that my overall outlook on Rome has changed. My time there is something that I will never forget. It was a time where I learnt many life lessons, became more independent and also made some amazing memories and friends along the way. If you are a future student travelling to Rome and need any questions answered, please feel free to contact me and I will help you out as much as I can. Hope you liked this short blog, keep on Travelling! - Fiona McCullough / Belfast Northern Ireland/ 20 years